2015 F150

Like the look of the new truck,also more fuel efficient. Best selling pickup for many years.
 
Now if they offered the CNG option on that, I might actually be tempted to buy one.
 
frfly172 said:
Like the look of the new truck,also more fuel efficient. Best selling pickup for many years.
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My request and sales history for parts reflects that statement. I'm getting more profit investing in F150, F250SD and F350SD than the GM trucks.
 
AggieMike88 said:
My request and sales history for parts reflects that statement. I'm getting more profit investing in F150, F250SD and F350SD than the GM trucks.
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What does that say about reliability? Does it mean that old Ford trucks need parts more often?
 
No... Most of what I'm selling the fastest are the collision parts. A door brings me $800 and the tailgate $600. Demand for non-damaged stuff is strong. Several of the Ford warehouses are out of stock, allow me to ask for almost the same price as the dealership. aka supply-demand pricing 101. (think what a bottle of water was worth in post Katrina New Orleans).

And though engines/trans requests and sales are high, I attribute that to "target rich environment". More trucks sold means more demand for replacement parts.

Mechanical stuff is pretty sound... most of the reasons I'm hearing for purchasing an engine or transmission from me is because of owner abuse or neglect.
 
I'm excited about it!!:goofy::D Should be a good seller, better fuel mileage and a new look!
 
Ford has been doing interesting things.

GM? Dead. Government Motors isn't capable of changes anymore it seems.

Dodge, trying out a 1/2 ton diesel. Smart. Keeps things close with the EcoBoost engines.

That grill is fugly, though. Trying to make it look like the Super Duty which is also fugly.

Like the built in ramps. Simple overdue idea.
 
Henning said:
Aluminum body panels on a pickup? WTF are they thinking?
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Time will tell. They are still using steel for the cargo box. My biggest concern is if they will end up suffering from dissimilar metals corrosion issues over time where the metals join. Doesn't have to happen if they did it right. My company has a 2012 F-150 with the EcoBoost V6 and it is generally a really nice truck, great for racking up lots of highway miles in comfort.
 
The light truck market is the most exciting thing in the automotive industry. Lots of competition and pressure, lots of improvements in every brand, rapid changes, etc. The latest focus on improved fuel mileage without losing performance is right on point for the 1/2 tons.

I love it.
 
I'm a died in the wool GM guy. But, I have been rooting for Ford (Ferd?) for decades because competition is what holds down prices and pushes improvements.
Their new diesel engine and tranny are good machinery and I'm not seeing the amount of horror stories as with their previous engine(s). That improvement was driven by the Duramax/Allison kicking their butts all the way to Ypsilanti.

I'm holding my breath on this aluminum body on a truck. Now, I have not had this new hi-tensile alloy in my hands so I don't have a feel for it yet. But at first thought I can envision lots of little dings becoming a warranty nightmare for Ford. Hail comes to mind. There is many a slip between the proving grounds and the real world. Intergranular corrosion and galvanic corrosion in the higher strength aluminum alloys is a well known issue in boats and aircraft. The salt bath roads of the Northern states and the alkali dust of the Southwest will be interesting to watch.
My suspicion is that they might get away with it on the half ton, which are 98% used for running to the mall for a new pair of boots and are in the garage much of the time.

OTOH my diesel truck is out in the field yanking a 30,000 pound grain wagon out to the road to make up a train to go to the elevator. And such. A much different environment than the local mall.

Exciting times, we have.
 
us AAirways said:
Big, ugly, overpriced vehicles must be the pride of American Car companies.
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My 2001 F-150 has been the most trouble free durable vehicle I've ever owned. I drive the thing like it's a 5200# sportscar and it just laughs. It's towed, hauled, slogged, and carried me thru many a snowy road. I expect to keep this vehicle another 10 years easy. It still looks good, too!

Yes, pickups can be expensive, but I still think they offer outstanding value and durability.
 
Dr. O said:
Intergranular corrosion and galvanic corrosion in the higher strength aluminum alloys is a well known issue in boats and aircraft. The salt bath roads of the Northern states and the alkali dust of the Southwest will be interesting to watch.
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I spend a lot of time on the Outer Banks where vehicles are parked on the beach for 10 months out of the year. The vehicles that hold up the best are the aluminum bread trucks. A new GM 2500 is turned to scrap in 4 years out there.
 
I have a 97 F150. It has 145K on it and has run like a top. My last 150 was a 88 with the 300cuin straight 6. I traded it in at 299k. It had cost me only a timing gear, oil, antifreeze, gas and grease over all that mileage.
 
With all this aluminum now, I want a factory ute bed. Ford, make it so! I'll trade you a jeep!
 
Henning said:
Aluminum body panels on a pickup? WTF are they thinking?
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They're thinking it's been done for decades on the big OTR trucks, and it's about time it was brought down to the consumer level. OTR trucks are making money for a living and the more they can load, the more they make. Many pickups in the US are being used partially or completely for commercial ops. Less fuel use, more profit. Time will tell if the body panels hold up well enough, but I would guess that Al is superior to Detroit type steel in most applications for trucks.
 
docmirror said:
They're thinking it's been done for decades on the big OTR trucks, and it's about time it was brought down to the consumer level. OTR trucks are making money for a living and the more they can load, the more they make. Many pickups in the US are being used partially or completely for commercial ops. Less fuel use, more profit. Time will tell if the body panels hold up well enough, but I would guess that Al is superior to Detroit type steel in most applications for trucks.
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I don't know one person operating an F-150 across scales, that is why OTR trucks use aluminum and plastic, to increase payload and remain below 80,000lbs. Weight difference will have little impact on the economics of running a pick up, if that was a primary consideration they should have gone to plastic body panels. I doubt the fuel savings of going aluminum over steel will match the insurance premium increase that's going to come from having body panels cost 3 times as much at repair. What I fail to see in this new design is any aerodynamic clean up, just more old fashioned bluff body crap. That is where economy can be increased.
 
Henning said:
I don't know one person operating an F-150 across scales, that is why OTR trucks use aluminum and plastic, to increase payload and remain below 80,000lbs. Weight difference will have little impact on the economics of running a pick up, if that was a primary consideration they should have gone to plastic body panels. I doubt the fuel savings of going aluminum over steel will match the insurance premium increase that's going to come from having body panels cost 3 times as much at repair. What I fail to see in this new design is any aerodynamic clean up, just more old fashioned bluff body crap. That is where economy can be increased.
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Well, you're going at this kind of left handed, but the results are the same. Lower empty weight equals greater payload for OTR, or lower fuel use for non-comm ops. Don't care if it goes across a scale or not, in the life cycle of the truck which may be 250k miles, the lower empty weight will be a significant reduction in fuel use.
 
Henning said:
I doubt the fuel savings of going aluminum over steel will match the insurance premium increase that's going to come from having body panels cost 3 times as much at repair.
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Duh. The whole intent of CAFE is to make driving more expensive because government nabobs decided that Americans just Drive Too Much. By forcing automakers to resort of more and more expensive technologies, such as direct injection, high boost, diesel, high-strength steels, even-increasing number of ratios, and now aluminum, the price of vehicles can be driven up and so is cost of driving, through amortization of the purchase price.

Henning said:
What I fail to see in this new design is any aerodynamic clean up, just more old fashioned bluff body crap. That is where economy can be increased.
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Watch closer. Steeper raked windshield, closed-up "grille".
 
zaitcev said:
Duh. The whole intent of CAFE is to make driving more expensive because government nabobs decided that Americans just Drive Too Much. By forcing automakers to resort of more and more expensive technologies, such as direct injection, high boost, diesel, high-strength steels, even-increasing number of ratios, and now aluminum, the price of vehicles can be driven up and so is cost of driving, through amortization of the purchase price.


Watch closer. Steeper raked windshield, closed-up "grille".
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Still unmodified bluff backs on the cab and tailgate where most of the drag is generated.
 
I think the new Ford is uglier than it was. And the fact that the aluminum construction costs more, higher sticker price I bet. And the Chevy won best truck at this year's show in Detroit? I think GM is just as good. I have a 2003 Silverado now but I have had 150's also.

David
 
Henning said:
Still unmodified bluff backs on the cab and tailgate where most of the drag is generated.
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I had a simple soft bed cover on my 2002 GMC Sierra 1500, and that bought me 1 mpg (about 5% fuel savings).
 
us AAirways said:
What?? That it's a pita to park???;)

It's nice, I am just not a truck person.

I like the styling/size that Ford/Chevy had in the 90's better.
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For years I drove a 4x4 dually crew cab diesel. Parking in the city was.... Interesting. The valets were often a little freaked out.
 
Perfect, I welcome aluminum. I look forward to buying a 2015 once 2030 swings around.
 
Dr. O said:
Intergranular corrosion and galvanic corrosion in the higher strength aluminum alloys is a well known issue in boats and aircraft. The salt bath roads of the Northern states and the alkali dust of the Southwest will be interesting to watch.
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Yup. Salt. Could be interesting. I hope they have it well prepped and primed.

Dan
 
You guys act like aluminum body panels have never been used before. They've been around for quite some time and appear to be doing ok, even in corrosive environments.
 
mondtster said:
You guys act like aluminum body panels have never been used before. They've been around for quite some time and appear to be doing ok, even in corrosive environments.
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Yup, I have an 86 Porsche that is Al from the A pillar forward, and Fe from the A pillar back. The rear of the car is in worse shape than the front. :yes:

It's been in all kinds of enviro before I bought it, and the Al is holding up quite nicely.
 
mondtster said:
You guys act like aluminum body panels have never been used before. They've been around for quite some time and appear to be doing ok, even in corrosive environments.
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Sure, and they damage easily and are expensive to replace. Like I said, I wonder what the actuaries will think of them. What I don't understand is why not more manufacturers have gone to snap on plastic panels, especially with full frame vehicles like trucks.
 
One of my favorite cars(van actually) was a 1991 Chevy Lumina APV. It was pretty much all plastic panels! It looked kinda goofy, but it was comfy, fairly economical, and did surprisingly well in snow. I had a lady back into it and mash up the left front fender and the door, and I just slapped a fender and door back on, paint to match and good to go. No pounding, no shaping, no filler, just zip the bolts off and on and it was good as new.

Really diff from Al panels for sure.
 
Let' get this over with.....how many pop cans does it take to build a 2015 F-150??? :)

Yes I said pop can not soda can!

David


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Henning said:
Sure, and they damage easily and are expensive to replace. Like I said, I wonder what the actuaries will think of them. What I don't understand is why not more manufacturers have gone to snap on plastic panels, especially with full frame vehicles like trucks.
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Funny you should mention that. Collision damage will still be a factor, of course, but the more common minor dings just don't seem to be a factor. I've had my F150 for two years now, and there is not a single parking-lot ding in it. Seems the running boards stop car doors from making that far. And the cost of the panel for collision repair is trivial compared to the labor for prep and paint. You have a $200 panel with $800 worth of painting work. Meh. And the more easily damaged parts of the F150, like fender flares, have sacrificial plastic parts snapped in place already.

The newer F150 body has had a lot of wind tunnel testing done to get the drag down. A lot of the stuff is not obvious. The angle of the corners of the roofline, for instance, and the under-body panels. Tack on a bug deflector, lose 2 MPG; put bigger tires on and lose 4 MPG. The only real improvement comes from a bed cover; my soft cover made a small but provable improvement in fuel economy. In short -- the F150 may look to you like a brick, but it's a very aerodynamically optimized brick. :)

As for plastic panels... it's been done, most obviously on that incredibly fugly mess known as the Avalanche. My old Sport Trac had an all-plastic bed on it. You want to talk about expensive repairs? Sheesh! There must be reasons it hasn't been migrated to "real" trucks.
 
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